"The modern master of the gamebook format" (Rob Sanders)... "Can do dark very well" (Jonathan Oliver)... "Green gets mileage out of his monsters" (SFX Magazine)... "It takes a firm editorial hand and a keen understanding of the tone of each piece to make a collection this diverse work, and Green makes it look effortless" (Starburst Magazine)

Sunday, 28 February 2016

Readers anxiously awaiting the arrival of Shakespeare Vs Cthulhu in bookstores later this year will be pleased to hear that I have already received eight out of the fifteen stories that will be appearing within the pages of the anthology, along with the bonus short story that will be going out to backers. The majority of those stories are at the revision stage, or have already been passed as final, which is not bad considering that the deadline for the delivery of the stories isn't until the end of the month.

The completed tales that will be appearing inside the anthology include...

Saturday, 27 February 2016

Just to let you know that voting for the British Fantasy Awards closes at the end of the month, which is Monday.
You can see the suggestions list of eligible titles here, and if you peruse that list you'll notice that both my short stories anthologies SHARKPUNK and GAME OVER are there in the Best Anthology category, while the short stories that appear within in them are in the Best Short Story category.

You are eligible to vote what makes it through the the shortlist if you're:

But after that, it's over to the juries; if they decide there's been an egregious omission they'll add it to the list, then deliberate (as happened with YOU ARE THE HERO last year).

If you're eligible, please vote if you can. Not necessarily for any of the above (although that would be nice) but just to make sure you have your say. As Simon Bestwick, whose story The Face of the Deep from GAME OVER is eligible in the Best Short Story category, says, "Take part. The more people do, the fairer the selection process will be, and the more meaningful the award."

Friday, 26 February 2016

Today, 2000AD is a grand 39 years-old! I those almost four decades, it has become a mainstay of British comics, and a pop culture icon. I have also been fortunate enough to have been published in the comic, just once, before Christmas last year.

I wasn't a comic that I had written, but it was a story featuring cultural icon Judge Dredd himself. That's right - I've written for 2000AD before, and I've written comics before, but I have never had a comic published inside the pages of 2000AD.

Despite being 44 years-old myself, that is still a writing achievement I would like to unlock. And who knows, maybe 2016 could be the year it happens.

The one time I have actually been published within the pages of 2000AD was in last year's bumper Christmas issue.

But for the time being, Happy Birthday, 2000AD! And to celebrate, why not head over to the 2000AD online shop and grab yourself a birthday bargain? (I'm after the Aquila graphic novel, myself.)

SKILL, STAMINA and LUCK

In 1982, a publishing phenomenon began with the first appearance of The Warlock of Firetop Mountain by Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone. It would be the first of a series that would sell some 17 million copies in 30 different languages. Which (JK Rowling notwithstanding) might sound unlikely for a set of children's books involving wizards, goblins and elves.

What was it that set them apart? They were part of a much wider literary innovation known as interactive fiction. You don't merely read them, page by page, cover to cover. You were asked to make decisions all the way along about what would happen next, where you would go, who you would even fight, which page to turn to. And you often had to keep a notebook and pair of dice close to hand while doing so. You might fail along the way and have to start again (or more likely you'd keep your finger in the previous page until you were satisfied you'd made the right choice). Essentially, they were puzzle books.

This sort of text based adventure would make its way very quickly into the digital realm as a very important early genre of computer game.

Naomi Alderman charts the rise and rise of the interactive story, from its beginnings in obscure avant-garde French literary groups through to the virtual worlds of modern video games, and the cult literary form today of Interactive Fiction.

Sunday, 21 February 2016

Yesterday I attended the London Super Comic Con, held at London's Excel Centre. Whilst I was there I met up with a number of people who will be of interest to fans of Fighting Fantasy, 2000AD or even Shakespeare Vs Cthulhu.

Andi Ewington, the mastermind behind the comic book prequel to Ian Livingstone's Freeway Fighterwas there, along with his self-published comic Overrun...

Tuesday, 9 February 2016

Several years after the events of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, Alice finds herself back in Wonderland and called upon to save the world of playing cards and talking animals from the increasingly deranged Queen of Hearts. But all is not as it first appears in the fluctuating dream world and soon Alice is battling to save herself from the nightmare that is rapidly overtaking the realm.

In his ongoing adventures in the services of Queen and Empire, Ulysses Quicksilver – hero and dandy – begins to uncover the corruption and decay in his beloved Britannia. This worthy tome collects three tales of desperation: Evolution ExpectsBlood RoyalDark Side

Part history, part celebration, You Are The Hero chronicles more than three decades of Fighting Fantasy. This mighty tome will appeal to anyone who ever wiled away a washed-out summer holiday with only two dice, a pencil, and an eraser for company.

I received a rather curious email from Kickstarter yesterday. It read:

"Just wanted to drop you a line to say we really love your project, Shakespeare Vs Cthulhu!

We love it so much, in fact, that we featured it on our blog today."

Shakespeare Vs Cthulhu was fortunate enough to be promoted by Kickstarter during its run, being a Project They Love, and featuring on the Publishing projects page. My first thought was, it's all well and good giving the project a plug now, but it funded a week ago. Then I clicked on the link...

This one made me smile and reminded me of a review I read recently of the Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland Colouring Book which claimed it was a story book because it had some words in it (probably less than 1,000 in all, so a pretty undemanding story book).

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WRITTEN BY JONATHAN GREEN

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Jonathan Green

About Me

I am a freelance writer and editor, well known for my contributions to the Fighting Fantasy range of adventure gamebooks. I have also written for such diverse properties as Sonic the Hedgehog, Doctor Who, Star Wars and Games Workshop's worlds of Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000.
I am the creator of the alternative steampunk universe of Pax Britannia, and have written eight novels featuring the debonair dandy adventurer Ulysses Quicksilver.
As well as my fiction work, I have also written a number of non-fiction books including 'Match Wits with the Kids', 'What is Myrrh Anyway? Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Christmas' and 'YOU ARE THE HERO - A History of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks'.